‘On the Job’ Tops 2013 Film Poll; Joel Torre Takes Top Acting Honors

Erik Matti’s prisoners-as-assassins thriller On the Job topped Pinoy Rebyu’s 3rd Annual Movie Poll, as voted by 21 online film writers and journalists, while its lead star Joel Torre’s turn as a morally conflicted inmate who teaches a young protégé the tricks of the trade led the voters’ choice for best lead performance, ahead of his own performance as a fisherman-turned-druglord in Kabisera and Sid Lucero’s disturbed law student in Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan.

In a tight three-way race, On the Job edged out Chito Roño’s political thriller Badil (2nd best film) and Jerrold Tarog’s romance drama Sana Dati (3rd best film and best screenplay).

Aside from best film, On the Job also nabbed the best cinematography prize for Ricardo Buhay III, tying with two other films: Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill (for Carlo Mendoza) and Puti (for Boy Yñiguez).

For the third straight year, Lav Diaz coveted the best director plum for Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan. Diaz has previously topped the poll’s best director prize in 2011 for Siglo ng Pagluluwal and in 2012 for Florentina Hubaldo, CTE.

Veteran character actor Dick Israel’s performance as a politician’s ailing yes-man in Badil bested Jasmine Curtis-Smith in Transit and TJ Trinidad in Sana Dati to top the best supporting performance category.

Hannah Espia’s OFW drama Transit took two prizes: Best First Feature and Best Ensemble, while the Best Score/Soundtrack category was topped by How to Disappear Completely.

The documentary prize went to Andrew Leavold’s The Search for Weng-Weng, about the life and times of diminutive stunt man Ernesto dela Cruz.

The crowded Best Scene category is instructive of the number of quality films produced in 2013, as voters barely agreed on a single scene: only one scene garnered more than one vote – the one in Badil where Jhong Hilario stakes out a voter’s house at night, discovers a pregnant Mercedes Cabral “doing the dynamite” and proceeds to beat her up. But one film, Boy Golden, was cited for three different scenes: the opening jukebox murder scene, KC Concepcion’s fight scene with another woman, and the acapella “Hound Dog” scene.

Another three-peater, Jon Lazam, tied for Best Short Film for his Pantomimes for Figures Shrouded by Waves, tying with JE Tiglao for his Cinemalaya entry Onang. Lazam took the same prize in 2011 for Hindi sa Atin ang Buwan and in 2012 for Nang Gabing Maging Sinlaki ng Puso ang Bato ni Darna.